Feather Grinding
Machine
by Thomas Morrell
I have built a few feather grinding jigs as shown on Dean Torges web
site. Since using them with a drill press set up, I thought I would try
setting up a seperate machine or jig to do the job. The drill press I
have is a smaller one and I am pretty sure I have it at the highest rpm
setting possible. I got a different sanding drum that can be slid on to
a 1/2" shaft. I then mounted it on a 1/6th HP electric motor and
mounted the motor in a vertical position on a 2x6. Since a guide could
not be mounted on this type of sanding drum, I simply used the guide
rail and spacer guide rail which do the job just fine. With the electic
motor spinning at around 1800 rpms it makes a really quick job of
grinding the feathers and also leaves the quill super smooth.
Since building this, I have added a switch to turn it on and off, a
receptacle in the back that a shop vac or clamp light can be plugged
into. In the near future I plan on installing some pipe that a shop vac
tube can fit right into for an exhaust system. I have also built 2
feather grinding clamps that are exactly the same in case you have help
grinding feathers. That way one person can be loading a jig while the
other is grinding. Below are 3 pictures of the grinding machine.
Thanks to Dean Torges for getting I and others started on this fun and
productive project.
Picture
1: This picture shows grinding the width of the quill.
Picture
2: With a spacer guide you can now grind the thickness of the quill
Picture
3: Here all the cords are tucked away, switch added and the
clamps stored on the side.
Questions or comments?
email: Card13@aol.com